Tonight’s episode started with more Abi drama. After she announces to everyone that she’s going to go get water, Skupin and Malcolm get busy talking smack. Abi’s been saying she has an immunity idol but the guys don’t buy it and Denise and Lisa agree.

Later on, Lisa and Abi are alone and Abi starts talking junk against Skupin, Malcolm, and Denise. She tells Lisa they are plotting against her. Lisa doesn’t believe Abi but plays along because she wants to keep Abi close and use her in her game plan. Lisa considers voting off Denise and keeping Abi close but worries that strategy may not keep the alliance strong.

Reward Challenge

For the reward challenge, the survivors must race up and over a slide, run to the ocean and grab a bundle of rings. Once they have the rings, they race back to the start point, drop the rings, and repeat the process to get a second set of rings. Then they race back to the start point and toss the rings one by one toward a set of pegs. The first survivor to get all five rings on the pegs will win the reward.

And it’s a big one. The winner and two other survivors of his or her choice will be picked up by helicopter and then board a boat where they will feast on pizza, soda, and cookies while going out to sea for whale shark watching.

The challenge begins and Skupin take the lead. Lisa is the last survivor to get all her rings. Skupin leads all the way but has trouble getting the last few rings on a peg. By this time, Malcolm has caught up and they’re neck in neck but Skupin pulls it off and wins the challenge.

He chooses Malcolm and Lisa to join him for the reward and Denise and Abi head back to camp.

Back at camp, Abi complains about being on the bottom of the alliance and tells the camera she thinks Denise is a horrible person. And there’s no love loss for Abi on Denise’s part either. Denise can’t stand Abi’s whining and is just trying to be nice and make it through the end of the day.

Abi starts talking about the immunity idol again but Denise doesn’t believe she has one. Denise told the camera she’d like to hang herself or gouge her eyes out, maybe even jab needles into her eardrums, “Then I’d be good for the day,” she said.

Meanwhile, on the boat, Skupin, Malcolm, and Lisa enjoy their treats. Skupin doesn’t eat sweets and admits that he hasn’t had a soda in 30 years. So it isn’t surprising when he eats too much sugar and starts acting a little crazy. Malcolm even commented that Skupin was actually fun to be around at the moment.

Then it’s time to do some whale shark watching but come to find out, they actually get to go in the water with the whales and swim around. They even get to pet them.

Back on board, it time to strategize. Malcolm talks to Lisa and Skupin about Denise. He tells them it would be best if they were the top three. Lisa and Skupin agree that Denise is a strong player and they need to keep her out of the top three. They make a pledge to get rid of Denise and do a double fist bump to seal their pact. Lisa doesn’t like the deal, but can’t pull Skupin aside to talk him out of it. She said she‘d sign on for this one now and make another deal later if she needs to.

Day 36, Denise wakes up in pain. She has fang marks on her neck but she isn’t sure what has bitten her. It could have been a spider, lizard, scorpion, tarantula, or even a snake. All she knows is that her neck is burning like fire and it hurts to move her neck and arm.

The group gathers around Denise for comfort and prays for her recovery. But it’s obvious Abi doesn’t care and is only concerned with winning.

Immunity Challenge

At the immunity challenge, Jeff asks how they are doing and Denise talks about the bite and how miserable she feels. Jeff comments that this could give Abi an opening. Abi agrees that Denise’s weakness is an opportunity for her. And Jeff adds it’s a complicated game because an illness or injury can shake up the game.

Malcolm gives up the immunity necklace and the challenge begins.

For the immunity challenge, the survivors have to navigate across a rope bridge using two planks. There are two maze puzzle pieces tied along the way that they must untie and carry with them to use to build a maze. The first one to correctly build the maze and run a ball through it wins immunity. If they fall, they will have to start the challenge over.

Malcolm, Skupin, Denise, and Lisa start strong and pull ahead of Abi. Then Malcolm falls and is forced to start over from the beginning. Skupin, Denise, and Lisa make their way across the ropes and start to build their maze. Then Abi makes it across.

As they struggle with their mazes, Malcolm makes it across the ropes and gets busy assembling his maze. Denise is close but the maze isn’t quite right. Lisa, Skupin, and Abi are behind. As Denise tries to figure out what’s wrong with her maze, Malcolm breezes through his and wins immunity, again!

They all applaud [except Abi of course]. Jeff reminds Malcolm the immunity idol must be used tonight or it will be useless. Denise said Abi’s going home and he torture of dealing with her will be over.

Back at Dangrayne, Denise and Skupin talk coconut-cooking techniques while Abi whines in confessional that she’s tired, hungry, and emotionally drained. She said she needs Skupin and Lisa to vote against Denise. Abi tells Skupin that Denise and Malcolm will beat them in the final. She tells them that bringing her along is their best chance at winning.

In Skupin’s confessional, he said he really needs to think this through. He tells Abi he’ll talk to Lisa and agrees she’s right. Skupin finds Lisa and they keep their voices low so Malcolm and Denise can’t hear. He tells her what Abi had to say and Lisa agrees that it’s a good plan and they should consider voting Denise off tonight.

Meanwhile, Denise and Malcolm talk and she asks if he would consider giving the hidden idol to someone else and he said it depends. However, in confessional, he said he wouldn’t give it to Denise. Malcolm said he’ll take it home and give it to his Mom as a souvenir.

Lisa and Skupin talk about the other side of things. They realize they may have a hard time especially if Malcolm wins immunity up to the end. They stop talking when Malcolm comes over. In the end, they realize that Denise is more powerful and more likely to knock Malcolm out during a challenge.

Tribal Council

The jury comes in – RC, Jeff, Artis, Pete, Penner and Carter. Jeff asks Lisa what happens after Malcolm won immunity. She said that Abi was trying to save herself. Abi admits that she’s on the chopping block. Jeff reminds everyone that Abi is universally detested but Abi said she is the best.

Denise said you would only take her along if that’s the kind of game you want to play. Jeff reminds her that Abi outwitted and outplayed 13 other people. Denise said it was a lot of luck but Lisa disagrees and said her team avoided council by playing hard.

Malcolm said he’s considering who he can beat. Abi tells him to choose her. She tells Malcolm that Denise is a huge threat and that Malcolm or Denise will win the game and Lisa and Skupin cannot win. Abi calls Skupin and idiot and said that’s why he’s going to lose a million dollars. As Skupin tries to talk, Abi calls him a moron twice. She tells Jeff that he thinks he’s going to win a million, but he’s not.

Jeff asks Lisa if there’s a point to keeping Abi beside her rather than on the jury. Lisa said it would be better to have Abi there because she knows she can beat her. Malcolm reminds the group that sometimes the weakest and most hated can win in the end.

Abi said she’s the one who’s there for the million dollars, that she needs it and Denise is in it to make friends, but Denise said she’s there for the money.

Abi votes Denise and Denise votes Abi. They don’t show the other votes.

Jeff gets ready to count the votes but calls for the hidden immunity idol first. Malcolm doesn’t play it!

Jeff reads the votes. First vote is for Denise, second vote is for Abi and then another and another. And that does it, Abi is voted off. That leaves two original Tandang and two original Matsing tribe members in the final four. Jeff said the showdown is about to begin.

What did you think of tonight’s episode? Were you glad to see Abi go? Who do you think is going to go the distance and win the million dollars? Post a comment and let us know.